Pakistan's Malala recovering after surgery

This photo made available by Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, England, shows Malala Yousufzai saying goodbye as she is discharged from the hospital to continue her rehabilitation while awaiting further surgery, in this file photo dated Friday, Jan 4, 2013, after being shot in the head by the Taleban in Pakistan for advocating education for girls. British doctors said on Sunday that Malala has had successful surgery on her skull. -- PHOTO : AP

LONDON (AFP) - British doctors said on Sunday that Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani schoolgirl shot in the head by the Taleban as punishment for campaigning for girls' education, has had successful surgery on her skull.

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in the central English city of Birmingham said the 15-year-old had undergone two operations on Saturday to insert a titanium plate into her skull and fit an electronic device in her ear.

Malala was shot by a Taleban gunman at point-blank range as her schoolbus travelled through Pakistan's Swat Valley on Oct 9, in an attack that shocked the world.

She was flown to Britain days later for treatment at the specialist hospital, which also treats British soldiers wounded in Afghanistan. Malala, who has become a global symbol of the campaign for girls' right to an education, was nominated on Friday for this year's Nobel Peace Prize.